IMPORTANT DEBATE: Is It ‘The Old Port’ Or Just ‘Old Port’ In Portland?

Now that election season is behind us and we can finally move on to more important debates, one popped up on Maine's Reddit that gave us a moment of pause. Portland's bustling downtown area, filled with incredible retail shops, restaurants and bars, what is it called exactly? What do you call it?

Google Maps

The question was posed by Misty_Circles on Reddit and asked whether or not they had been referring to the Old Port incorrectly? The poster had always referred to it as simply "Old Port" but recently had noticed everyone was throwing a "the" in there as well. To be fair, it could be a simple matter of speech, but as far as we know (and most locals would back us up), there must be a THE prior to talking about Old Port.

We applaud the poster for taking the extra step of Googling whether or not there was a the prior to Old Port for Portland, Maine. That shows impressive dedication to finding the correct and most thorough answer. But this IS Maine, and we are a very particular people, and no amount of Googling can verify important matters such as this.

So here it is, for the record. The is a "the" before Old Port. Now go eat and drink in THE OLD PORT tonight.